Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1016519
| SUNDAY • 19 AUGUST 2018 maltatoday 17 THE Malta India Film Acad- emy will launch the first edi- tion of the Malta India Film Festival to be held in Malta from December 14-16, 2018. The festival, a first of its kind, will be open to film-makers from across the world who have either Maltese or In- dian elements in their film. Supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Malta, the endeavor is to build a creative bridge encouraging art, culture and entertainment between the two countries. The Festival will invite en- tries across different genres of cinema and will be in cat- egories of Feature Film, Short Film & Documentaries. The shortlisted set of films, as graded by the panel of jury, will then be screened over three days in Valletta, the capital city of Malta. At the Press Conference Brand Ambassador and Jury Member, Ms Vidya Balan said, "It is always a pleasure and honour to be part of a cin- ematic platform that encour- ages film-makers. The Malta India Film Festival brings forth not only a unique op- portunity for talent to come together but also the beautiful and magical country of Malta. With the support of the Gov- ernment of Malta and backing of Streamcast Studios, I am sure this is only the beginning of a new dimension for the In- dian film industry" Maltese Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi said that he was thrilled that Streamcast Studios had initiated such an exciting platform. "Both, Malta and India, have a lot of commonality includ- ing their love for Food, Fire- works and Films. Malta has been a partner to many iconic Hollywood films and we are thrilled that 'Thugs of Hin- dostan' has paved the path for Indian blockbuster cinema in Malta and this Festival is go- ing to further solidify it. From our end, we are committed to providing every possible sup- port and facility that we can to make Malta a preferred destination for the magical and musical cinema of India' Engelbert Grech, Director of Malta India Film Festival also shared his vision, "The Malta India Film Festival will be awarding a total prize of €200,000 to the winners to- wards their next film produc- tion. This is to ensure that independent & small sized production houses not only have a platform to showcase their work but also have a solid impetus to continue weaving their magic on the big screen. This is truly the beginning of a glorious new path for Indian and Maltese cinema." CULTURE ENVIRONMENT Over the past few days our chronic love affair with politics had to make way for news about the white storks. Not good news, sadly. A flock of 18 of these magnificent and much-loved birds made the fatal decision to migrate over Malta. Trigger fingers all over the island began to twitch and by the end of the day they flock had already been reduced to 12. By this time they had made the news and one hunter was arrested. More were shot dead this week (possibly including the one in the photo) – at the time of writing the flock has dwindled to just six birds. And all because a large bunch of armed death-dealing thugs still hold the country to ransom, patted on the back by our politicians and given most of they demand. All across Europe the white stork (M. ċikonja bajda) is a symbol of birth, life and good luck, and people scram- ble to set up roof platforms to entice these gentle creatures to nest on their homes. But here it's different: here they get mas- sacred. Shame on us. Join us on a tour around the Ċittadella where surpris- ingly, several valuable eco- logical species are found. The area is of ecological, scientific, and cultural im- portance and the site has hence been designated a Special Area of Conserva- tion (SAC) of International Importance in 2007 and included in the European Union's Natura 2000 net- work. The Ċittadella is one in thirty terrestrial Natura 2000 sites designated in the Maltese Islands. This is the first event from a series of events that Friends of the Earth is producing in Gozo as part of the Let's Na- ture project. This initiative has been supported by the Ministry for Gozo NGO As- sistance Scheme, a funding programme for Voluntary Organisations on the Island of Gozo. 622. WHITE STORK Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 525: Find out more and register at www.foemalta.org/nature Text Victor Falzon Photo Aron Tanti First ever Malta-India film festival launched A walk in Gozo's Natura 2000 site - Cittadella 25th August 2018 at 17.30 Versalite and Friends for ALS Malta ALS Malta is taking on its most ambitious event yet in an attempt to fundraise for a newer and bigger Dar Bjorn. ALS Malta has partnered with most of Mala's most loved Versa- tile Brass and many local artists in order to put up an unforgettable concert on the 1st of September in Pjanna San Gorg in Valletta. The night will feature the likes of Versatile Brass, Ivan Grech, Christabelle, Matthew James Borg, Amber, Glen Vella, Brooke, Pamela Bezzina, Christian Arding, Martina , Larissa, Cliff Zammit Stevens. The warming up acts will also include The New Victorians and DJ Fusion Featuring Sound Salon's LEX. Entrance is totally FREE. Dona- tions will be collected at the door. A very limited number of VIP tick- ets can also be purchased online.